


Vanilla and ginger

by Owaranai



Category: Naruto, Naruto (Anime) RPF
Genre: Dark Past, Emotional Baggage, Emotions, F/M, Falling In Love, Future, Getting Together, Introspection, Lemon, Love, Self-Reflection, Sentimental, Sex, Slice of Life, Trauma, Vaginal Sex, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:35:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26632207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Owaranai/pseuds/Owaranai
Summary: "I was wondering something…" she replies without looking away:"Do you keep the mask on your face even while having sex?" she spits out in one breath.Kakashi stares at her dumbfounded, marveling at the cheekiness of that woman he has just met. Then he bursts into laughter so loud and uncontrolled, that he is forced to wipe a tear at the corner of his only visible eye. He can't remember the last time he laughed so hard.She smiles mischievously waiting patiently for him to regain his composure."Well, what do you think?" he says, playing along, and staring at her intently in the eyes."I think I want to find out"
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Original Female Character(s), Hatake Kakashi/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 117





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've always loved this anime and manga, but if there is one thing I don't particularly like, it's thinking about Kakashi living alone until the end of his days after all he has sacrificed for the good of the village. I think he too deserves someone to share his life with.  
> This story stars before the beginning of the Fourth Shinobi World War.

That evening Kakashi is in a club to celebrate Gai's birthday, he has never liked parties and crowded places, but just a few hours before Gai showed up at his apartment dragging him there without wanting to hear reasons. While Gai and all their friends are at the bar counter drinking and chatting vivaciously, Kakashi is sitting in an isolated corner of the pub reading a book, trying to ignore all the confusion surrounding him.

On the other side of the room is Kaori, she is also annoyed by all the confusion. She looks around, looking for a place away from the crowd, and she seems to find it. She walks across the room making space among the excited and sweaty people, and sits in the chair next to the one in which Kakashi is sitting, hoping to be left alone by her colleagues and leave that place at the first good opportunity. That evening they were celebrating the promotion of one of her supervisors, and she, who had been desperately looking for an excuse not to join them, had had to give up when, at the end of the shift, the group of colleagues was waiting for her outside the workplace.

Kakashi continues to read his book but notices the presence of the woman, who is soon approached by a blonde girl, one of her colleagues, who tries to convince her to join them again. Kaori refuses with a wave of her hand, trying to make herself heard above the incessant noise of the music.

“Thanks, but I don't want to congratulate that jerk. Do you know that the other day he also tried to grope me while I was bent over to photocopy some documents? Unbelievable. I don't want to have anything to do with him"

The colleague leaves with a resigned sigh, knowing unfortunately well the tendency of the superior to lay his eyes on the younger girls.

Kaori sits comfortably in the chair and pulls out a book from her bag, starting to read.

Kakashi looks curiously at her out of the corner of his eye when Gai approaches him, handing him a glass of beer and inviting him to join them on the dance floor, but the ninja copy flatly refuses. The two friends are still arguing, when a rather tipsy Genma approaches and grabs Gai by the shoulders and drags him to the center of the room, much to Kakashi's relief. The two begin to go wild on the dance floor with ridiculous and awkward moves, attracting the laughter of those present, including Kaori and Kakashi. The latter two look at each other for a few moments, then their eyes return to their respective books.

Only a few minutes have passed, when Kaori closes the book with a dry sigh, sighing in annoyance:

"How the hell can you read with this loud music?!" she asks screaming over the noises, turning her attention to the ninja.

Kakashi looks up at her raising an eyebrow.

"Anything to avoid being dragged into the midst of those madmen" he snorts amused, nodding at his friends.

"It seems that neither of us wants to stay here… what about leaving?" Kaori asks sharply. Kakashi contemplates the question for a few seconds, while a train of people approaches them, zigzagging around the room. When the endless line of people passes near the two, Kaori grabs firmly the man's wrist and, hidden by all those people so as not to attract the eyes of their friends, they take the exit.

Once out of the club, Kaori immediately lets go of Kakashi's hand, takes a deep breath of clean air and turns the corner. Not far away, a group of four boys are smoking next to garbage cans and one of them, seeing the girl, emits a whistle of appreciation, drawing the attention of others. One of them takes a few steps forward and speaks:

"Hey beauty, do you want some company?"

The girl is about to refuse, when Kakashi appears from around the corner, striding towards her, wrapping his hand around her waist and throwing an annoyed look at the group. The boy who had spoken retreats hesitantly, Kakashi shifts his attention to the girl addressing her:

"I'll take you home" and pushes her towards the main road, shortly after removing his hand from her hip.

"Thanks, but there is no need"

"I have nothing to do and you never know who you might meet at this time of night"

"And who tells me that you are not like them?" she teases him showing him a tongue.

He snorts as they continue to walk. They are silent for a few minutes, Kakashi is immersed in his thoughts. One thing struck him about that girl. He is about to properly formulate the thought within his mind when she begins to speak.

"Anyway, I'm Kaori, nice to meet you"

"Kakashi, nice to meet you"

"So ... what do you do in life?" she asks hesitantly.

Kakashi looks at her curiously, then replies with a derisive tone:

"Doesn't the uniform I'm wearing suggest anything to you?"

She snorts, giving him an offended look.

“I moved to this village a few months ago, I don't know very well what concerns the ninja and their duties. I mean, how do I know what your duties are within the village? I assume everyone has their own, like defending the border, helping the Hokage and so on. Or am I wrong?"

Kakashi watches her with interest as he is hit by that stream of words, reflecting on the fact that, being new to the city, she probably doesn't even know all the stories related to his name, and he is kind of relief about that. He takes a deep breath and begins to explain to her how things work in the village, the various tasks of the ninja and everything else, carefully avoiding talking about his reputation as the best hitman in the whole village and probably in all the ninja lands.

He is still talking when the girl stops in front of a four-story apartment building, not far from the forest that marks the western border of the village.

“Here we are” Kaori says.

The girl stares intently at him in the only visible eye, and Kakashi, slightly uncomfortable, raises an eyebrow, silently asking her what the problem is.

"I was wondering something…" she replies without looking away:

"Do you keep the mask on your face even while having sex?" she spits out in one breath.

Kakashi stares at her dumbfounded, marveling at the cheekiness of that woman he has just met. Then he bursts into laughter so loud and uncontrolled, that he is forced to wipe a tear at the corner of his only visible eye. He can't remember the last time he laughed so hard.

She smiles mischievously waiting patiently for him to regain his composure.

"Well, what do you think?" he says, playing along, and staring at her intently in the eyes.

"I think I want to find out" Kaori replies, grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him up the stairs. He follows her without protest. They go up all four floors of stairs, then she stops in front of the last door of the corridor, takes out the keys and opens it, letting the ninja in.

Kaori pauses for a moment at the door right after closing it behind her and tilts her head slightly to the side. Kakashi turns to look at her in exasperation:

"And now what is it?"

"You're not engaged or married, are you?"

"No" he snorts.

"Excellent" and so saying she comes dangerously close to the man kissing him from above the mask. Her soft, full lips come into contact with the slightly rough fabric and she distinctly feels the shape of the man's pressing against hers, while the ninja's large, rough hands hook onto Kaori's hips, pressing her closer to his body.

After a few moments she breaks off, observing him, she says:

"Mmm, I'd say I prefer the tongue, don't you?"

Kakashi laughs again.

"I can't blame you"

"Seems like I have found my answer" she reflects, pressing herself even more close the man's chest and feeling against her lower abdomen his arousal begins to harden.

"So now that you find your answer? Are you going to throw me out of the house or do you want to take advantage of it?"

"I haven't had sex for almost six months and I have to admit that I've always had a thing for muscles" she says mischievously, slipping her hands under the ninja's uniform.

Kakashi moves his hands towards the woman's buttocks, grabs them and lifts her. She encircles his torso with her legs, they stare at each other for a few moments and then she moves her hands to the ninja's cheeks, seeking his approval with her eyes. When Kakashi nods, she slowly raises his forehead cover, then grabs the edges of the mask and lowers it, almost holding her breath for fear that the man will change his mind. She takes a few seconds to observe the features of Kakashi, who does not think twice to tease her:

"Do you like what you see?"

"Definitely" is her reply before diving into those lips. Soon after, their tongues also come into contact, starting a frantic dance. Kakashi, still holding her by the ass, passes the kitchen and the living room, and heads towards the end of the corridor, where there are two doors. He grabs the one on the right and opens it, looks around while he is still engaged in the kiss, realizing that he has entered the bathroom by mistake. She also seems to have noticed and breaks away from him laughing, then resuming nibbling his neck. Kakashi closes the door again, entering the other, which must necessarily be the bedroom. As soon as he enters, he stumbles on a pile of boxes abandoned in a sprawling way near the wall, but his ninja reflexes fortunately prevent him from falling. She snorts again, nibbling the man's jugular more decisively, and he lets go of a moan of surprise.

He puts her on the floor next to the bed and they undress each other with fast and frantic movements. When they are both naked, she takes a step back, observes Kakashi from the feet up slowly to the face, he does the same. When their eyes meet a trail of desire shines in both of them. He clears the distance with a single step, pouncing on her lips and running her flat abdomen with the tip of his fingers until he lingers on her breasts, which he squeezes without too much force. She strokes his back with both hands, sticking her fingernails into his flesh when she feels Kakashi's teeth press on her right shoulder.

"Please, tell me you have a condom" she moans with the last bit of clarity left in her.

He breaks away from her, bending over to rummage in one of the pockets of his jacket and pulling out a small plastic wrap. As she lays down on the bed, he slips the condom on his length, joining her soon after. They kiss again, this time more slowly, savoring each other to the full, while he positions himself between her slender legs and opens them a little more with his hands to make room.

He leans down on her, licking her jawline and rubbing his cock’s head against the woman's clit, both of them quivering at the touch, excited and full of anticipation for what's to come.

Kakashi seeks her gaze and she nods impatiently, tying her legs around the ninja's hips.

He grabs his penis and guides it between those warm and welcoming walls, slowly sinking inside her until the whole shaft is disappeared from the view. The woman's heels press on Kakashi's coccyx with a firm blow, ripping a moan from both of them. The pressure in Kaori's legs decreases, and Kakashi immediately begins to move, sinking into her with precise and deep thrusts.

The trusts go on for a while, accompanied by the heavy and labored breaths of the two lovers. She absently observes the drops of sweat descending from the man's temple, her attention is immediately captured by the scar that crosses the left eye. She touches it uncertainly with one of her fingertips along the entire length, starting from the top and going downwards. That totally unexpected and sweet gesture leaves Kakashi bewildered, and the thrusts cease. They look into each other's eyes for a few moments, then she moves her gaze to the man's lips, and caresses them with her thumb, smiling slightly. Kakashi bends down to kiss her softly, savoring her lips once more and enjoying the numbness of her soft body pressed under his. Then, as suddenly emerging from that torpor, he awakens, and resumes the thrusts in a more frenetic way, until, moaning in each other's mouth, they reach orgasm.

Kakashi falls dead weight next to the woman, pressing his head into the pillow and breathing in the intense perfume emanating from it.

She is still in the same position, trying to catch her breath. She slowly turns on her side towards Kakashi, his good eye emerging from the soft pillow to watch her. Kaori takes a long drag filling her lungs before speaking:

"Tell me, will you sneak away tonight while I sleep?"

"It depends ... do you want me to stay?"

"It depends ... do you want to have an encore in the morning?" she asks with a mischievous smile painted on her face.

"You don't have much problem asking questions, do you?" he snorts.

"I would say no"

Kakashi stifles a laugh.

"What's up?" she asks curiously.

"If you hadn't asked me, I probably would have really left while you were sleeping"

“Ah! I knew it!" she says pointing her finger accusingly at his hip. He wraps her hand and brings it to his face, kissing the back of it. Then he draws her to him by encircling her with one arm and using the other to cover both of them with the sheet.

It is morning, Kakashi has slept deeply catching up on sleep after the last mission. He wakes up because he feels something moving under the covers, right between his legs. He holds back a moan of pleasure and lifts the sheet, revealing Kaori crouched between his legs, her right hand pulling her hair away from her face and her left hand gripping the base of the soaring erection, almost completely embedded in her mouth.

"hood-mohnin" the girl says noticing the blanket raised, but without detaching herself from the erection. The vibrations spread along the shaft, sending bursts of pleasure directly to the ninja's brain, causing him to recline his head and close his eyes. The girl continues for a few minutes to suck and lick, then comes off with a loud snap, pulling the covers away completely.

“I took the liberty of rummaging through your uniform and luckily I found another condom” she says triumphantly as she takes it out of the wrapping. She bends again to gently unroll it on the throbbing erection, once finished she climbs astride the man's torso and kissing him with transport, she helps herself with one hand to impale on him. Their lips come apart to catch their breath and she chains her gaze into his as she begins to move up and down in a slow, sensual manner. Kakashi enjoys that moment of pure pleasure, relaxing and completely lowering any defense. When he is about to reach his limit, he firmly grasps her hips, increasing the pace and meeting the thrusts with his pelvis. The groans and panting breaths followed one another for several minutes, both too busy chasing pleasure to utter meaningful words.

Three more thrusts followed one another more intense and deeper, allowing both to reach orgasm. Kaori lets herself fall exhausted and satisfied on Kakashi's chest, who immediately surrounds her with his arms, wasting a few seconds in sniffing the girl's hair, thinking about how much that perfume recalled familiar sensations in his memory, although he couldn't remember where to place it.

It's late in the morning when Kaori gets up to make herself a cup of coffee, offering one to Kakashi too. While they are sipping the hot drink seated at the kitchen table facing each other, Kakashi looks around curiously, observing the living room that he had passed through the night before without deigning to look. Not only in the bedroom, but also in that room there were several stacked boxes and the walls were quite bare.

Kakashi's eyes meet a clock, the only decoration on that wall. By now it was already noon and on Sunday at that time he begins his training in one of the training camps.

He clears his throat, thanking for the coffee and explaining that he has to go. The living room window overlooking the forest is open, he climbs onto the ledge and turns around, waving his hand to her.

"Are you going out from the window?" she asks halfway between confused and amused.

"It's the easiest way" he replies back with a smile. As he takes the leap, he hears her screaming behind him:

"When you have nothing to do you know where to find me!" he turns, seeing her wink at him. He smiles to himself and heads to training camp for his daily training.

The sun is now setting on the horizon, when Kakashi with a loud sigh collects his kunai and heads towards the exit of the training camp. Passing by the Hokage building, he is immediately joined by Gai and some of the friends present at the birthday party the night before.

"Rival! Where did you go last night? " Gai yells, encircling his shoulders with his usual enthusiasm.

Kakashi is about to respond with an apology when his friend continues:

"We even came to look for you at your apartment but no trace of you!" the ninja copy is blown away by that statement and Raido approaches him and begins to speak:

“You can’t imagine the show you missed. Gai was so drunk that he was about to break down the door of Aoba's apartment instead of yours, then when we found out that you weren't there he even started crying in the middle of the street"

"Sorry Gai, it wasn't my intention" Kakashi says with a pat on the friend’s shoulder.

"Don't try to change the subject and answer the question" interrupts Genma "where were you?"

"Well, you know how it is, I don’t like crowded places, I needed some fresh air" he justifies trying to escape that interrogation. But at that point Anko, observing Kakashi with a wicked grin, takes the floor.

“Don't make excuses! I saw you sneak out of the club with that brunette" while the group stares at the copy ninja in curiosity, the latter has is back to the wall, promising to give back to Anko, decides to be casual.

"No offense Gai, you were quite taken by the music, I thought I'd take advantage of that girl's invitation" he admits scratching the back of his neck.

Gai's eyes become liquid and shiny and he is about to hit the ground running with one of his motivational speeches:

“This is the spirit of youth! Don't worry, my eternal rival, if there is a reason why I can justify your absence, in addition to a sudden mission, that's definitely a woman" he yells, winking at him and clinging to his shoulders.

Kakashi gently moves away from him trying not to attract the gaze of the people passing by on the street, who seem to stare curiously at the group of jonin. He greets his friends and heads home.


	2. Chapter 2

It’s Monday afternoon, Kakashi aimlessly strolls through the streets of Konoha. He has no particular commitment and finds himself walking without a precise destination, now traversing the banks of the river that crosses the village. He is immersed in his thoughts and the noises and voices around him arrive muffled to his ears. He is reflecting on what happened the previous weekend, in particular he still mulls over what immediately struck him and attracted him to that girl, like a metal object is inexorably attracted to a magnet. That evening, after exiting the club with Kaori, he distinctly smelled her perfume and was immediately struck by it, without knowing why. How is it possible that Kaori's perfume sparked such interest in him? Then, in the evening, after the intercourse, when he took a deep breath of the fabric of the pillow, he involuntarily managed to completely relax, abandoning himself to a sense of familiarity and comfort that, looking back on it now, he just couldn't explain.

He is on his way to the market area, when the same smell hits him again, and he is sure it belongs to her. He raises his face abruptly, following in alert that trail of perfume, until he finds himself in front of the National Library of Konoha. He heads towards the nearby park, with an agile leap he reaches the top of a fir tree that is right in front of the library windows, and carefully observes its interior. His gaze wanders cautiously among the shelves full of books, when suddenly he meets a familiar figure. Kaori is sitting behind the counter, talking to a girl on the other side and hands her a book with a smile. Not far away he also recognizes the blonde who had talked to her at the club the other night and realizes that this is Kaori's workplace.

He sits on one of the branches, sheltered by the leaves of the big tree. He leans his back against the trunk and takes out his book, starting to read while being lulled by that sweet scent, losing track of time.

The sun is now setting over the horizon when the library closes and Kakashi sees Kaori come out. He stretches his back, comes down from the tree and heads home without letting Kaori sees him.

Half an hour later he is throwing the wrapper from his takeaway dinner in the trash when a hawk pecks at the glass of his window. He walks over and pulls the scroll out of the bird’s paw. He reads it carefully, sighs deeply, and heads to his bedroom to change clothes. The Hokage is waiting for him to give him a new mission.

It's Saturday night when Kakashi returns home after reporting to Tsunade about his latest mission. He enters the house, slowly takes off his shoes and heads to the bathroom, throwing his clothes on the ground on the way. He enters the shower and lets the cold water run over him, trying to wash away that overwhelming sense of fatigue as well as the blood. Despite the soap and the constant frantic rubbing, he smells the metallic smell of blood still on him. He sighs in resignation, turns off the water and collapses to one side, resting his forehead on the wet tiles. He remains like this for a few seconds while a thought forms in his mind. He thinks back to the scent he smelled a few days earlier. Her perfume. And the only thing he can think about now is that he desperately wants to smell it again.

It’s after eleven in the evening when Kakashi shows up at Kaori's apartment and knocks. After staggering out of the shower, he dried himself and dressed like an automaton, then his legs started to move, taking him to Kaori's apartment. Already from behind the door he can sense, thanks to his developed sense of smell, her unmistakable scent, that obsessed him since he met her. He immediately recognizes vanilla, but fails to identify the other background aromatic note, much lighter but slightly pungent.

He hears footsteps getting closer and closer to the door and then he finds Kaori standing in front of him, her hair disheveled and an open book in one hand. They observe each other for a few seconds, Kakashi feels embarrassed and he is about to regret having swooped there so suddenly at that time of night. He's trying to come up with an apology and leave, when Kaori smiles softly and draws him to her.

"I thought you weren't coming back" she whispers as she lowers his mask and kisses him.

"I've been on a mission" he murmurs, moving slightly awkwardly away from her lips.

"So, if it wasn't for the job you would have come earlier?" she asks mischievous raising an eyebrow.

Kakashi carefully ignores the question, concentrating on removing the shoes and then crossing the threshold.

Kaori heads to the living room, closing the book and placing it on the sofa, then grabs Kakashi by the wrist and drags him towards the bedroom. He follows her by inertia, breathing deeply the trail of scent she leaves behind. The woman pushes him badly on the bed, jumping on him and starting to undress him without too many ceremonies, while also taking off her own clothes. She kisses him with transport, extending a hand towards the ninja's shaft and starting to awaken it with slow movements, while he pauses to caress her breasts with both hands.

"Take me from behind" she moans, nibbling his earlobe full of desire. Kakashi does not have it repeated twice, he reaches out to his clothes taking out one of the condoms he made sure to take with him before leaving the house, puts it on under the expectant gaze of the woman, then lifts her up with an only arm with no particular effort, and straddles her on the bed, spreads her legs slightly and bends between her buttocks, blowing lightly on her already moist opening. He sees her twitch slightly at that gesture and feels a slight tremor in the body beneath his. He gets closer to her intimacy and delivers a quick and decisive lapping. Kaori moans slightly, opening her legs even more. Kakashi places both of his hands on the woman's thighs, holding her in place as he returns to sink his tongue between her warm walls, pushing himself as deep as possible looking for her sensible spot. Kaori is now in a state of delirium and is about to reach orgasm, when he breaks away from her, who emits an annoyed sound. He pulls himself up and prepares to penetrate her, sinking into her with a single firm push. Without waiting for the woman to get used to that intrusion, he begins to push vigorously into her, as if his own life depended on it. Kaori's moaning of appreciation only increases Kakashi's desire and frenzy, which increases the pace of the thrusts even more, while the woman goes towards him with her pelvis with each thrust.

"Oh yes" Kaori exclaims, almost losing her balance and sinking her face into the pillow in front of her. Kakashi feels the walls around his member contract rhythmically, a sign that the woman has now reached orgasm. He lifts her butt further, keeping her in position and delivers some other deep and decisive thrusts, finally reaching the peak of pleasure.

He remains motionless in that position for a few seconds, catching his breath. Then he detaches himself from her, taking off the condom and throwing it into the nearby waste basket, he stretches out next to her. Kaori is still with her butt in the air, her breathing is labored and her head is still immersed in the pillow. Kakashi smiles, helps her lie down and covers her with the sheets.

"That was beautiful" she murmurs dreamily, falling asleep shortly after.

Kakashi observes her for a few moments, then abandoning himself to fatigue falls into a deep sleep.

Kakashi wakes up that the morning sun filters slightly from the curtains. He hears the water flowing from the shower, so he gets dressed and looks around while waiting for Kaori to finish the shower.

The bedroom is rather simple and ordinary. Next to the bed there are the two bedside tables, in front of it a dresser with a mirror, and on the side a wardrobe. Next to the door are a dozen boxes stacked in two piles, the same ones he had hit the first time he entered that room. There are also two neat stacks of books placed next to the wardrobe, but so high that they seem almost precarious. He approaches and absently reads some of the titles on the backs.

Then suddenly, as if recalled by an invisible voice, his gaze falls on the dresser. Kakashi looks carefully at the various jewels, the various bottles of creams and the glass bottles placed neatly on it. His only visible eye is immediately captured by one of the perfume bottles. The shape and color are familiar to him and suddenly he realizes where he has already seen it. His breath catches in his throat, with a trembling hand he approaches and grasps the bottle delicately between his fingers. Slowly inhale the perfume from the opening, close his eyes and the memories flow into him. That's the exact same scent his mother used: vanilla and ginger. That's why he felt attracted to that girl and why the sensations he felt when he smelled it were so familiar.

The face of his mother forcefully comes back to his mind. Every time he tried to remember the details of her face, a light mist landed on the image he reconstructed in his memory. Yet now, breathing in the perfume that he had always associated with her in his childhood, every detail reappeared so vivid that he cannot help but be amazed and, slightly, frightened.

He is still lost in thought when the sharp sound of the bathroom door opening brings him back to reality. He hastily puts the bottle back where he found it and turns to Kaori.

"Everything okay? You look pale” she asks apprehensively as she puts a hand on his forehead to make sure he's okay.

“Everything fine, don’t worry. I'm going to make some coffee” and scratching the back of his neck with disinterest he goes towards the kitchen, while she gets dressed.

They sit at the table and while sipping coffee, they talk about this and that. Kakashi notices that there are also boxes in the living room and asks her curiously what they contain.

“Mainly books” she replies, telling him about her passion for reading and how she has always found the world contained in those pages more interesting than the real one. They also find themselves talking about Kaori's work, Kakashi listens with interest, not revealing that he already knows that she works in the library. On the other hand, if she had asked how he knew it, he couldn't tell her that he had followed her scent like a hound to her workplace.

"Now that you make me think about it" Kaori says distracting him from his thoughts:

"Since today is Sunday and I have nothing to do, I'd better start to assemble the bookcase, at least I can take all those books out of the boxes"

"And where would this bookcase be?"

"Under the bed, I've been planning to put it together for months, but I'm not very excited about the idea of getting to work" she confesses, smiling.

Kakashi has no particular commitments that morning, so, even before he can think about it, he offers to help her assemble the furniture.

"Thanks, it would be really helpful"

When the bookcase is assembled it is early afternoon. Kaori observes it with satisfaction, thanking the ninja for his help, thanks to him the process was very fast and even fun.

"What can I do to repay you?"

"Don't worry" Kakashi says waving his hand.

“Are you stopping for lunch? Not to brag, but no one has ever complained about my cuisine, on the contrary"

“Thanks, but I really have to go now. A special training awaits me with my two students, Naruto and Sakura" Kakashi says, walking towards the entrance to put on his shoes.

“Okay, then maybe I'll make you a bento once. In the meantime, thanks for your help" Kaori says smiling.

Kakashi freezes with his foot in midair, as he is putting on the first shoe, turns to her and tilts his head thoughtfully.

"What's up?" she asks slightly worried.

Kakashi puts the shoe down again and returns to Kaori, inviting her to sit at the kitchen table and take a seat in front of her.

"Maybe it's time to set the record straight" Kakashi says seriously, and this time it's Kaori's turn to look at him thoughtfully. Kaori's proposal to prepare a bento for him left him baffled as it is generally something that is done between couples: the girlfriend or wife prepares the bento for the partner to take to work. Kakashi thought about enjoying the moment, without thinking, until that moment, what the woman's intentions were. In case she wanted something serious, he would immediately break off, having promised himself long ago not to bond with anyone.

"What are you referring to?" she asks confused.

“Sorry to be frank, but what kind of relationship are you looking for? What do you expect from this?" Kakashi says, pointing his finger first at him and then at her.

Kaori thinks about it for a few seconds, before answering:

"Honestly? I don't know either. It was not my intention to pick up someone that evening, I assure you I've never done it before, but then we exchanged a few words and you intrigued me. But at the moment I can tell you with certainty that I'm not looking for anything serious” she stares the ninja in the eye, then asks him the same question.

"I'm not looking for a serious relationship, just sex" he replies dryly, staring firmly into her eyes. He realizes he was a bit brutal but he doesn't want Kaori to be under any illusions. He is not willing to commit to anyone, now or ever. He can't afford to lose other people he loves, so he decided years ago that he won't love anyone anymore.

“Okay, no problem for me. Actually, so far I have only had serious relationships, three to be exact, but for one reason or another none have ended well. Now I just want to enjoy life without having somebody to answer to" her gaze veils with sadness, she pauses briefly asking immediately after:

"What are your motivations?"

Kakashi bites the inside of his cheek, chasing away the thoughts that are tormenting his mind and responding in the most indifferent way possible:

"With my work it is quite difficult to maintain a relationship, I would not have the material time"

Kaori has seen the man only twice, but suspects from his stiff posture and his colorless voice that that's not the whole truth. She decides to ignore that feeling and addresses him with a smile:

"So, friends with benefits?"

Kakashi raises an eyebrow, snorting a laugh immediately afterwards and nodding his head.

"You know, if in addition to sex there is actually friendship, as the word suggests, I wouldn't mind. The only people I know here in the village are my work colleagues and sometimes, especially in the evening, I feel alone within these four walls "

Kakashi accepts the girl's proposal, gets up and goes to the exit, stamping a kiss on her cheek as he passes her. He raises his hand in greeting and vanishes over the threshold.


	3. Chapter 3

Almost a month has passed since their meeting. Although Kakashi is overwhelmed with missions and spends a lot of time training in view of a possible war against Akatsuki, he and Kaori manage to see each other two or three nights a week. Their chemistry in bed is enviable and the sex is fulfilling and wonderful. Both enjoy their harmony, deriving their own pleasure from it and never failing to return it to the other, without ever stopping to explore and tease each other.

For Kakashi it has now become an inevitable ritual to deeply inhale the scent of Kaori in the pillow and between the sheets. After making love, he hides his face in the cloth, breathes slowly and relaxes completely. Once Kaori, noticing this, asked him what was special about her pillow. He had remained motionless for a few seconds, not having realized so far that he had been so careless, merely replying that he simply like her perfume.

Even in those days Kakashi had been on a mission, this time alone. His goal was to assassinate a trader who had previously had shady deals with one of the Akatsuki members, all without leaving traces or witnesses. Killing said trader had been child's play, but unfortunately two of his henchmen were high-level nukenin. Kakashi had faced them and, after a long struggle, had managed to kill both of them. However, the two were able to inflict some wounds on him, none particularly deep and, between the loss of blood and fatigue, he is now proceeding slowly towards the village. Arriving at the forest bordering Konoha, Kakashi summons Pakkun, asking him to go to the Hokage to report that the mission was a success and that he himself would deliver the report the following day. Pakkun vanishes with a leap and Kakashi leans his back against a tree trunk, trying to shift his weight from his injured leg to his healthy one. He takes a deep breath before moving away from the tree and at that precise moment he can't help but think about Kaori and how much her apartment is actually just beyond the forest.

Without pausing too much to think, gathering the last remaining strengths, he leaps from tree to tree until he arrives in front of that building he now knows so well. The living room light is on, a sign that the girl is still awake despite the late hour. Kaori's bedroom room has the window opens, the ninja joins it and without hesitation enters the house. He goes to the living room to get her attention when, also thanks to the wound in his leg, he trips over his feet. He manages to keep his balance, but the thud has immediately caught Kaori's attention. From the living room she stretches her neck towards the corridor, standing up. She sees a shadow on the door of her room and is about to scream when Kakashi takes a step towards the light source, allowing her to identify him. Kaori breathes a sigh of relief and scolds him for scaring her and goes closer to him. She's getting closer when the smile on her face fades, her gaze drawn to the trail of blood running down Kakashi's leg and soaking the carpet.

"You are hurt!" she exclaims worried running towards him.

"It's nothing serious, sorry if I'm dirtying everything" he apologizes.

Kaori notices Kakashi's distraught face and his legs shaking slightly, a sign that they are about to give in to fatigue. So, she takes him by the arm convincing him to lie down on the bed and be treated and disinfected those wounds. In addition to the one on his leg, he has two more wounds on his right forearm and one just below his left shoulder. While she undresses him, she also notices some bruises on the chest that are beginning to darken. She goes to the bathroom to get the first aid kit and, once back in the room, Kakashi is already asleep. Trying to be as gentle as possible Kaori washes, disinfects and wraps the wounds in gauze. Then with a damp cloth she cleans the whole body of blood residues and dust, finally sprinkling the bruises with an ointment. She covers Kakashi with the blanket, then sits on the floor next to the bed, brushes his hair off his forehead and rests her chin on the mattress, watching him sleep soundly.

Kaori wakes up at the crack of dawn due to a slight back pain. Once she opens her eyes, she looks around slightly confused, remembering immediately after having slept on the sofa so as not to disturb Kakashi that needed absolute rest. She washes her face quickly to dispel that sense of fatigue and goes to the bedroom to see how the man is. When she approaches him, she notices that he is soaked in sweat, she puts a hand on his forehead and from the temperature she deduces that he must surely have a high fever. She opens the window to ventilate the room and approaches him again with the first aid kit to change the bandages.

She takes care of the leg first and immediately after removing the gauze she notices that the outlines of the wound are bluish and the blood has not yet completely coagulated. A doubt assails her, she immediately proceeds to discover the other wounds he has in the upper part of her body and those too have the same bluish outlines. Her breath catches in her throat and panic assails her. Kaori jumps up and starts pacing nervously back and forth around the room. Over the years she has read numerous essays and treatises on medicine and first aid and she knows perfectly well what those marks on Kakashi's wounds indicate: he was wounded with poisoned weapons. She bites her fingernail while thinking about what to do: she does not have the skills to understand what kind of poison it is or to create an antidote, so the only solution is to seek help. She takes the sweatshirt from the chair and immediately goes to the exit, puts on her shoes and is about to turn the door handle, when a realization stops her in place: she knows absolutely nothing about Kakashi, neither his home address, nor his names of his acquaintances, and not even his last name. She collapses discouraged to the ground, repeatedly banging her head against the wall, trying to get an idea. Then a flash crosses her mind. She doesn't know much about that reserved man, but she knows one thing well: he's a ninja. She then leaps to her feet and runs out of the apartment running at breakneck speed through the streets of Konoha and heading to the Hokage building, there surely someone would have been able to help her, she’d have stopped any ninja, explaining the situation and praying them to call a medical ninja immediately to assist Kakashi.

When she arrives in front of the entrance of the main building she is out of breath, her forehead is beaded with sweat and her cheeks are red. She looks around with slightly blurred vision, attracting the attention of some sentries on guard. She approaches the entrance when, on the sidewalk not far from there, she notices a familiar face. She recognizes that hair and those thick eyebrows immediately, remembering that the night she met Kakashi that man approached him offering him a beer.

Feeling observed, Gai approaches the girl, he seems to have already seen that girl, but he just can't remember where.

Kaori approaches further, immediately taking the floor:

"Excuse me, I'm a friend of Kakashi's"

At that statement, Gai's eyes light up, recognizing her immediately.

“Nice to meet you! I’m Gai. Are you looking for my friend and eternal rival Kakashi? " he asks enthusiastically.

"No, actually I'm looking for someone who can help him" Kaori observes Gai's face become a mask of concern at those words, he is about to interrupt her but she doesn't let him speak, explaining the situation immediately:

"He is at my house, he returned yesterday from a mission with injuries, now he has a high fever and I think he has been poisoned, he needs help"

Gai doesn't have it repeated twice, he tells her to wait for him there and ventures into the building, entering the Hokage office like a tornado without waiting for permission and explaining the situation with agitation.

Tsunade orders Shizune to replace her, immediately grabs her medical bag and heads to the exit with Gai. Kaori gives them the address of the apartment and the two ninjas disappear between the roofs of the houses with a leap. She, now calmer, heads briskly home.

When she enters her home, everything is silent, Gai is at the bedroom door and welcomes her with a smile, moving to let her through. Tsunade is by the bed and is putting thevarious items in her bag, while Kakashi sleeps soundly.

Tsunade as soon as he sees her takes the floor, keeping a low tone:

"You were right, it was a medium potency poison, he is fortunate that you noticed it, a few more hours and it would have damaged the nervous system, probably irreparably"

At those words Kaori collapses at the foot of the bed with her eyes wide open, she hadn't imagined it could be so serious.

Tsunade continues:

"If it is not a problem for you he’ll stay here for today, tomorrow I’ll send two assistants to check and if the fever is gone, which is very likely, he will be transported to the hospital, where he’ll remain in observation for a few days"

"No problem, I warn at work that I will take the day off"

Tsunade nods and walks out of the room saying she must go back to the office. Gai is still in the doorway watching Kakashi, so Kaori invites him to follow him to the kitchen to have a coffee together.

Gai sits quietly, watching her pour the coffee into the cups and hands him one, he thanks her and blows on the edge of the cup to cool the drink. Kaori does the same, not knowing how to strike up a conversation with that perfect stranger.

It is Gai who opens the discussion:

"Thank you so much for taking care of Kakashi, I don't dare to imagine what could have happened if you hadn't come to call us" his tone of voice is low, nothing to do with the enthusiasm he had in front of the Hokage palace.

"I'm glad that everything has worked out for the best" says Kaori, lowering her gaze and adding sadly:

"You know, as soon as I noticed the poison I panicked and I realized that I practically didn't know anything about him, I didn't know what to do"

Gai observes her closely, immediately realizing that his eternal rival must not have revealed much about himself to that girl. He’d like to reassure her but at the same time he wouldn’t want to blurt too much about Kakashi to prevent the latter from scolding him, so he just says:

"Kakashi is a very private person and is reluctant to get attached to people, but I'm glad to know that he could count on you"

“Could you give me some more information about him? At least his surname or home address, in case I need them"

Gai slowly sips the drink until he finished it, trying to take time to think about his answer, but he just says:

“I'm sure you can talk to him about this as soon as he gets better. And now sorry but duty is calling me, and thanks for the coffee" he says in one breath, waving his hand quickly and vanishing through the living room window.

Kaori sits with her cup in hand, reflecting on the conversation she just had. She understood that Kakashi was a reserved type and of few words, but why all that secrecy? The thing stank. She would certainly have had the opportunity to ask his questions to Kakashi, she didn't think she was pretending too much in wanting to know more about him.

The next day Tsunade shows up at Kaori's door early in the morning with two collaborators. She examines Kakashi and, once the bandages are changed and the fever controlled, she orders the two men to transport him to the hospital. She thanks Kaori for taking care of him and gives her the address of the hospital where she can visit Kakashi.

That day Kaori goes to work and, once finished late in the afternoon, goes to the ninja hospital of Konoha, asking for Kakashi on admission. One of the nurses points her to the room and she walks over to it. Once she reaches the door, she stops uncertainly behind it. Her attention is immediately captured by a plate placed under the room number, she approaches and reads "Kakashi Hatake". At least now she knows his full name, thinks to herself. She is still lost in thought when the door of the room opens, revealing Gai on the other side, smiling at her.

"Welcome! He just woke up!" he yells with enthusiasm, dragging her inside.

Kaori is caught off guard and lets herself be guided by the ninja in the green suit, focusing on the inside of the room.

"Hi, how are you?" Kaori immediately asks as she approaches the bed.

“Yo! I’m fine, thanks” Kakashi says scratching the back of his neck slightly embarrassed. It is at that moment that the woman notices some people behind her, sitting on chairs leaning against the wall next to the entrance. She whirls around, looking curiously at four people and greeting them timidly.

Gai clears his throat, starting introductions:

“This is Kaori, the girl I was telling you about yesterday. Kaori, these are Genma and Raido, they were also at the club that evening, maybe you saw them"

The two greet her with a smile, while the two teenagers next to them observe her from head to toe with attentive eyes. This time it's Kakashi's turn, who introduces Naruto and Sakura.

Sakura addresses the woman with a smile, greeting her cordially, while Naruto observes her narrowing his eyes, returns the greetings and then approaches Kakashi attracting his attention with an elbow and speaking softly.

"Tell me, Kakashi-sensei, doesn't your girlfriend mind that you constantly read Jiraya's novels?" he says eyeing the ubiquitous book with an orange cover placed on the bedside table.

“She's not my girlfriend and mind your own business, insolent!" Kakashi whispers pushing him away among the curious glances of the others.

Naruto stares at Kaori for a few more seconds, before being dragged away by Sakura with the excuse that the sensei need to rest. The other jonin follow them too, leaving the two alone.

Kaori takes a chair and brings it close to the bed, while Kakashi watches her, taking the word shortly after:

"Thank you for taking care of me and sorry for the inconvenience"

"You have no idea how scared I got when I noticed the poison, but I'm glad you're better now" she admits, while Kakashi takes her hand in his, again apologizing for making her worry.

Kaori visits him in the hospital once again and on the fourth day Kakashi is discharged. Apart from a little residual fatigue and a slight pain in his leg when he strains it, he has completely recovered. Although the two met in those days, he still decides to go to Kaori's house to thank her again.

He finds her sitting on the sofa reading a book and sipping tea, he sits next to her, taking off his jonin jacket and forehead cover.

"Thanks again for your help, what can I do to repay you?"

“Mmm… how about you offer me a dinner? There is a place that has recently opened and I'm curious to try it" she asks smiling.

"Okay" he agrees, placing his hand on her thigh and massaging it absently. Kaori observes Kakashi's hand, large and warm, making slow circular movements, then fixes her gaze on the man's face, there is one thing she would like to ask him, but she is undecided whether or not to voice her thoughts. Kakashi notices the eyes on him and raises an eyebrow questioningly, so Kaori decides to speak.

"I was wondering ... why did you come here that evening instead of going straight to the hospital?"

The ninja ponders that question for a few seconds before answering:

"I don't even know exactly, I just know that I was tired and your house was the closest" he admits with slight embarrassment.

Kaori takes courage and asks what she really cares about:

“Why don't you ever tell me anything about yourself? I mean, I don't pretend to know every single detail of your life, but at least knowing where you live or the name of a family member would have been useful that day ... " as she continues to stare into his only dark eye, she raises her back from the sofa, leaning towards him, that tries to escape her gaze. Unable to intercept his eye, Kaori gets up, going to sit astride the man's knees, being careful not to weigh too much on the injured leg. She gently grabs Kakashi's chin with her own hands, forcing him to look up and staring into his only visible eye.

Kakashi doesn't like talking about himself, especially with her. He fears that if Kaori knew about his past and what he was forced to do for the good of the village, she’d be terrified and never want to see him again. But after all, hers is by no means an unreasonable request. So, after that pause of reflection, he takes a long breath of air and begins to speak.

“I never talk about my family because I don't have one, I’m the only one left. And in case something happens, you can go to Gai, we have been friends since childhood. We live in the same building, one of those buildings that are located just before the training camps. They are apartments reserved for ninja; Genma and Raido, the two boys you met in the hospital, also live there"

He talked too much for his taste. So, in order to avoid more questions, he lowers the mask and bends down to leave a trail of kisses along Kaori's neck, while his hands went up along her soft thighs. Kaori is about to ask him why, in general, he isn't looking for a serious relationship, but she gets distracted by his kisses and moves her head to the side, to give him more access to her neck. In the meantime, the ninja's hands rise up to the shirt and creep under it. He is pleased to note that she is not wearing a bra and does not waste too much time in firmly grasping both breasts, tormenting her turgid nipples with his fingers. At that point Kaori's pelvis moves towards Kakashi, friction against his pants and going to tease his masculinity, which begins to awaken under those attentions.

Between the mission and the stay in the hospital it was now a week that they had no intercourse, and both feel the need to abandon themselves to each other. So, taken by the frenzy, they quickly undress throwing their clothes on the ground without paying too much attention. Remaining in that position astride him, Kaori grabs Kakashi's shaft, unrolling a condom on top of it and immediately slipping it inside her. She drops onto his erection with a satisfied sigh, starting to move immediately afterwards. She surrounds Kakashi's neck with her arms as he grabs her buttocks and helps her move. The lunges follow one another fast and decisive, suspended from time to time by long, moist and deep kisses. When Kaori reaches orgasm, she abandons herself on Kakashi's chest, and after he too has achieved pleasure with a few more thrusts, she pauses to listen to the fast beating of his heart, while he plunges his nose into her hair, breathing in her scent.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lot of talks and thoughts in this chapter, I hope you don’t get bored.  
> Don’t worry, next chapter will be more animated (if you know what I mean 😉)!  
> Let me know if you have any comment or suggestion 😊

The following week Kakashi returned from yet another mission, in that tense and demanding period that precedes the start of a practically certain war. Having finished the mission, the Hokage gave him two days off, so he leaves the house burrowing his face into his usual book and, without thinking too much, decides to head to the library where Kaori works.

He puts the book back in his pocket and goes through the entrance to the building, immediately breathing deeply the smell of that room. The smell of old and dusty books slightly covers that of Kaori's perfume and, despite his developed sense of smell, he has to make an effort to smell it distinctly.

He walks over to the loan desk, no one is waiting and Kaori is entering data into the computer. She does not notice him until he leans his elbows on the counter and clears his throat to attract the attention of the woman. Kaori immediately looks up, instinctively addressing a smiling good morning to the person in front of her. When she realizes that it is Kakashi, a slight surprise replaces the smile.

"Hi" he says smiling.

"Hi, what are you doing here?" she asks almost without thinking.

"I wanted to try new literary genre; do you have something to recommend?" he asks winking.

Kaori smiles and is about to answer him when a man in a suit and tie, probably a superior, passes behind her, shooting a grim look at Kakashi and drawing the attention of Kaori who walks away from the ninja to listen to the requests of her boss.

After a few minutes the girl returns visibly annoyed, takes some papers scattered on her desk, arranges them neatly, and hands them to the superior.

Then with a tight smile she turns to the ninja, inviting him to follow her to retrieve the book he requested. As the two go away, Kakashi notices the man's gaze glaring at Kaori's figure. The woman, once around the corner and out of sight of the colleague, grabs Kakashi's wrist and drags him upstairs, to an uncrowded area and, when behind the last shelf of the room, she let it go.

“Sorry, don't mind it” she says referring to his superior's behavior.

Kakashi remembers perfectly what she said at the club the night they met about the harassment by a colleague of hers and imagines that he is the man in question. A feeling of anger takes hold of the ninja, who clenches his closed fist until his knuckles turn white, trying to restrain himself. He is distracted by Kaori, who continues to speak softly, revealing with a sad expression that she does not have much luck about men, and it is clear that she is not referring only to her colleague.

Kakashi brings a hand to Kaori's face, and gently strokes her cheek, drawing the woman's gaze to him. Staring at her he says seriously:

“If I can do something, just tell me. I'm sure it would take me a few minutes alone with him to put him back in his place"

Kaori stares at him disoriented, immediately realizing what that proposal implies, then irritated, almost with anger, she moves away from him replying:

“Don't even talk about it! This is none of your business and this is my job, I can't afford to lose it!" Kaori has raised her voice and is out of breath now. She immediately realizes it and collapses on the bookshelf touching her forehead, all under the impassive gaze of Kakashi.

“Sorry” she whispers after calming down.

“No, I’m sorry, you're right. I won't do anything that jeopardizes your job, but know that if you need help, I'm here "

"Thank you, but don't worry, I'll come up with something" and turning around, she looks at the books on the shelf, grabbing one immediately afterwards and returning to her desk without adding anything else. Kakashi follows her in silence, she records the book and hands it to him. Grabbing it, the ninja adds in a low voice:

"I'll wait for you out here at the end of your shift" and winking at her he starts out of the library.

After the shift Kakashi, just as he told her, is waiting for her in front of the library. His face is immersed in the book he borrowed that afternoon, but he lifts it as soon as she steps out the door. Kaori immediately freezes in the middle of the street, wondering if it is a coincidence that he raised his head just then or if somehow his ninja senses recognized her. She resumes her steps and approaches him smiling, the dialogue they previously had forgotten.

"Are you hungry?" Kakashi asks putting the book away.

"Definitely"

Kaori follows him through the back streets to a small restaurant, the one Kaori told him she wanted to try. They enter and eat quietly, talking about this and that.

After dinner Kaori proposes to move to a bar; that evening she just wants to have a drink and forget about her problems at work. They sit at a secluded table, away from the crowd and the din of the music, and order two cocktails.

"What are you thinking about?" Kaori asks, intrigued by the absorbed expression of the man sitting in front of her.

"Nothing" Kakashi replies grabbing the drink and taking a sip.

"About our previous discussion, right?"

Kakashi is unsure, then reluctantly admits it, fixing his gaze on her. Kaori sighs deeply.

"And what is your opinion about it?"

Kakashi looks at her puzzled asking:

“What should I think? As you said, it's none of my business"

Kaori clicks her tongue in annoyance.

"Are you saying that you still haven't got an idea? Don't lie to me, your gaze says something else"

"Let's hear, what does my gaze say?"

“Do you think I should say everything to hell and report it to management? Even if it would lead me to lose my job? Do you think I’m a person who puts money before moral principles?"

"Hey, calm down, I haven't said or thought any of this" Kakashi defends himself, raising his hands in front of her. She gives him a dirty look, doubting his statement. He continues:

"I just wondered why you don't want to take any action, that's all" he admits sincerely.

She sighs in distress, orders another drink for both of them, finishing the first one in one go.

“I love this job. Since I was a child, I dreamed of working in a library and I’m currently working in the most important one in the whole Land of Fire, I don't want to give it up so easily. That man is an asshole, but so far, he has never crossed the line. He has also been working there for years and has a consolidated position, in case I report him and they have to choose who to send away, that would certainly be me"

The waiter puts the drinks on the table and takes the empty glasses out, walking away again.

Kakashi covers Kaori's hand with his, bigger and warmer, stroking her palm with his thumb, lost in thought.

The woman continues:

"And then, of course, the other reason is that I actually need the money. Without a job, I can't afford the rent, I don't have any savings aside" she admits disconsolately.

Kakashi tries to play down:

"Unbridled shopping?"

She shakes her head as her eyes moisten.

"No, as I told you long ago, bad luck with men ..." she leaves the sentence pending, taking a sip from the glass. Kakashi would like to ask her for an explanation but, at the same time, he doesn't feel authorized to poke his nose into her personal matters. He squeezes Kaori's hand more, continuing to look at her.

She wipes the corner of her eyes, alcohol making her head slightly and feels the need to let off steam, so she lets herself go and a river of words hits the ninja, who almost struggles to follow her.

"As I told you the last time we met, I've only been with three men in my life, all serious relationships, or at least I thought so. The first one, when I was still a teenager, lasted five years, then I found out that he was cheating on me with my best friend. I left him and spent a whole year in total depression, I kept wondering if the problem was me and what I had done to deserve such treatment. Around that same time my mother died of a serious illness and I really hit rock bottom. My father and my sister convinced me to enter therapy and, after several sessions, things were starting to get better. A man also worked in that studio, he was about fifteen years older than me and he was always so kind ..." A bitter smile twitched her face before resuming the narration.

“I fell in love with him, I tried not to show it but he noticed it. So, we began to see each other and he asked me to keep our relationship a secret, even though I was of age he said that our age difference would be frowned upon. And like a fool I accepted it without objection. We dated for almost two years, and then I decided I wanted to make things official, introduce him to my family and maybe move in together. The day I wanted to propose it to him, I waited for him when he left work and saw him go out arm in arm with a woman and two kids beside him: his wife and children. The bastard had been teasing me all that time and I was stupid I hadn't even notice, I had never suspected anything. I made a scene in the middle of the street and left without seeing him again"

Kakashi takes both of Kaori's hands in his and remains silent as he waits for the narration to continue.

"And then, when I thought it couldn't get worse than that, I met the worst bastard of all" she took one of her hands from the man's, rubbed off a tear that had escaped from her right eye, took the glass and emptied in one gulp, feeling a slight burning in her throat.

“I had started working in a bookstore when one of the colleagues asked me to go out with him. He was a nice guy and I thought it would help me forget what had happened short before, so I accepted. We started dating and I was fine with him, he was always very kind and thoughtful towards me, and when things got serious, we moved in together. But from the very beginning of living together, I began to discover sides of him that he had never shown before. He was very jealous, always controlling me, always finding a reason to criticize me and spending most of our money on useless things. The first time I rebelled he hit me, and that was the first of many times" the tears begin to flow impetuously on her face, Kakashi moves to sit in the chair next to the woman. He hands her a handkerchief and slowly massages her thigh with circular gestures to soothe her.

Kaori wipes her tears, clutching the now wet handkerchief in her fist, clears her throat and starts talking again.

“I wanted to get out of there, I thought about it so many times, but he had guessed it. He said that if I left him, he would find me and make me pay for it. He never hit my face and forced me to hide the bruises, but one day my dad noticed it. He faced him, but in the fight he fell to the ground banging his head. He died a few days later in the hospital and that bastard was arrested and incarcerated" Kakashi now strokes her back, whispering his displeasure in her ear.

“I then lived with my sister, she is married and has three children. She never blamed me for anything and welcomed me unreservedly into her home, but still I felt guilty and I knew that I would never be able to leave all this behind if I hadn't changed place. So…here I am” the last words come out in a whisper. She touches her head with a grimace of pain. All that noise and alcohol are giving her a headache.

Kakashi pays the bill, takes her by the arm and drives her home, mulling over what he has been told along the way. A whirlwind of thoughts takes over his head. He wonders if continuing that relationship is the right thing. So far, she had only had bad men in her life and he, despite promising in that moment never to hurt her, still cannot consider himself a good man. He is a cold-blooded killer who for the good of the village would not hesitate to turn his back on her. She doesn't deserve this. A sense of despondency takes over. On the one hand, he feels the right thing to do is not get too much involved, be friends with her, and step aside once she gets to know someone reliable. On the other hand, an invisible force keeps him from putting his intentions into action.

He is still pondering what to do when they arrive at Kaori's apartment. The two enter and Kakashi is hit by the perfume enclosed in those four walls. For the umpteenth time, he breathes it deeply, letting himself be lulled by it. Think back to the strange coincidence that she uses that particular perfume that he hadn't smelled for decades and how it is also a coincidence that her name actually means 'perfume'. He is immersed in these thoughts when, suddenly, a doubt creeps into him: is he attracted to Kaori as a person or just by her scent because it reminds him of his mother and his short happy childhood?

He feels a slight headache throbbing in his temples and in the distance Kaori's voice calling him by name bringing him back to reality. He realizes he is in the bedroom; he was so absorbed in his thoughts that he did not realize he had followed her there. He needs to take stock of the situation and clarify all the doubts that have assailed him. He's about to say goodbye to Kaori and return to his home, when she approaches him, lowering his mask and trapping his lips in a passionate, alcohol-tasting kiss, making the words die in his throat. She drags him onto the bed and begins to undress him. Kakashi battles the headache, now stronger, tries to bring some clarity to him but, when Kaori's lips close around his excited shaft, he can't help but throw his head back and let go to those sensations.

Kakashi wakes up in the middle of the night, he still feels a slight headache. He looks down at Kaori as she sleeps next to him. He moves to the side, folds his arm over the pillow and rests his cheek on his hand. Slowly, and with a sweetness that does not belong to him, he pushes some lock of hair away from the woman's face, continuing to look at her. He thinks back to what she told him that night. At those thoughts the anger rises in his bowels and the nervous takes possession of him, he bites hard on his inner cheek, feeling a metallic taste invade his mouth. He looks back at Kaori and tries to regulate his breathing following that of the deeply sleeping woman. He is able to calm down and think with a little clarity. He doesn't know how to behave, he can't decide which is the best choice for Kaori, but what he knows is that he doesn't want anything to happen to her and that she no longer experiences such disappointments on her skin.

That moonless night, while she sleeps peacefully next to him who watches her gently, Kakashi promises to watch over her, and to make sure that no one can mistreat her anymore.

He gently caresses her cheek, then moving to her lips and moving down towards her neck, observing her round and firm breasts. He moves away from her, covering her better with the sheet, then lies down on his back again, closes his eyes and tries to go back to sleep. But just before that, one last thought crosses his mind: does he really only want her good? Or maybe the reason he decided to protect her is that he really just needs an excuse to keep seeing her, without having to openly admit that he is interested in her? He thinks back to all the people he loved and who died in front of him without him being able to do anything to prevent it. He ponders on his decision not to bond deeply with anyone. A tear wets his sharingan eye, he clenches his fists and mentally curses himself. He knows he is a weak man because he cannot be faithful to his decisions. He cannot explain the reason for all his doubts, but if there is one thing, the only one he understands at the moment, is that he knows he cannot think about stop seeing Kaori.


	5. Chapter 5

During the week, one evening, Kakashi heads to Kaori's house. On the way he thinks back to the conversation they had at the bar, his mind is crowded with doubts and uncertainties. He arrives in front of her door and knocks and, when she opens to let him in, her smile and her cheerfulness distract him from his thoughts.

After a lifetime of being a ninja, spending a few hours of total normalcy and peace with Kaori is a cure-all. Even silences with her are never embarrassing or heavy; especially Kakashi loves when, after dinner, they sit on the sofa, each immersed in a book and read until they decide to go to sleep. Occasionally Kaori comments aloud what she reads, sometimes reciting entire extracts from the book; other times she lies down on the sofa, resting her head in Kakashi's lap and making sounds of appreciation as he starts stroking her hair. Kakashi never admitted it, and never would, but in those moments, he perceives, after all those years, the atmosphere of familiarity and home that he could only experience in his first years of childhood.

That evening as well they are reading on the sofa, Kakashi is sitting composedly, while Kaori has her back resting on the armrest and her legs stretched out along the sofa, her feet resting comfortably on the thighs of the man, whose right hand is leaning on one of her ankles. When Kaori finishes the chapter, she silently closes the book and places it next to her, spending a few minutes in observing the features of Kakashi who has his face uncovered, waiting for him to finish reading too. When he puts the book aside, she heads for the bedroom, closely followed by Kakashi.

He's been training for several hours that day and his back muscles are sore, so he tries to get rid of that feeling by vigorously massaging his shoulders. Kaori watches him while sitting on the bed with her back against the headboard and, sensing the problem, she offers to give him a massage. She invites him to sit between her legs with his back to her, and takes off his shirt, while he facilitates her task by raising his arms. The woman takes a bottle of cream from the bedside table and pours some into her hands, rubbing them together and immediately starting to massage Kakashi's back with large movements and applying light pressure to her fingers. The ninja gradually relaxes under that touch, closing his eyes and enjoying the feel of Kaori's warm, soft hands in contact with his skin.

After long minutes, when the cream has completely absorbed, Kaori grabs Kakashi's shoulders, pushing him to lean against her chest. She leaves a few kisses along the pale and muscular neck, up to the ear, then she grasps his earlobe with her teeth, pulling it lightly, before breaking away and whispering:

"How about massage something else?"

And without even waiting for a reaction from the man, she slips both hands under the elastic of his trousers and boxers, lowering them just enough to reveal the intimacy of Kakashi who is still sleeping. It only takes a few touches to wake it up and the man relaxes in her arms, enjoying Kaori's attention and letting go of a few small moans. The up and down of Kaori's hand on Kakashi's shaft has now reached a brisk pace and she can feel how close he is to orgasm from the stiffening of his body. So, she approaches again to leave wet kisses on his neck, biting his jugular just as he pours into her hands with a low grunt.

They still remain in that position for a few minutes while Kakashi tries to modulate his breath, and an idea forms in his mind. In the silence of the room, Kakashi quickly makes few seals, making a clone appear next to the bed. Kaori jumps, not expecting such a thing and being the first time she has seen Kakashi use his chakra. He briefly explains the type of technique to her, but Kaori still doesn't understand why he needs a clone right now.

"I thought I'd try something different tonight" he whispers winking in the woman's ear. Upon hearing those words, Kaori's pupils widen and her mouth opens slightly. The clone, without saying a word, takes his place sitting behind her and pushing her towards his chest, as she had done with Kakashi just before. Kaori focuses on the sensation given to her by the clone behind her: apart from a slightly lower body temperature than Kakashi's, the consistency is exactly the same as the original. The clone takes off his shirt, uncovering his face and bends down to leave kisses under her ear. When Kaori finds no substantial differences with Kakashi's kisses, she relaxes, now returning her attention to the man in front of her. Kakashi watches his clone peppering the woman with kisses, then looks her in the eye, noticing with pleasure a spark of desire and expectation in them.

He bends between her legs, pulling both pants and panties off in a single gesture, then gets up on his knees. He grabs one of Kaori's foot and begins to cover it with kisses, starting from the fingertips and proceeding meticulously towards the inner thigh. Once there he approaches the groin, depositing a light kiss and feeling a shiver go through Kaori. He watches his clone lick her shoulder, while with one hand he makes his way under the tank top grabbing one breast and massaging it vigorously, snatching a surprised moan from Kaori.

Kakashi returns to focus on what's in front of him and she can feel his breath on her intimacy. She trembles with expectation but, when Kakashi moves away to grab her other foot, a grimace of impatience and discontent comes out of her lips, immediately suffocated by the clone that grabs her chin, turning it towards him and inserting his tongue into her mouth.

Kakashi begins to kiss Kaori's fingers, repeating the same gestures made with the other leg, but more slowly. He reaches her knee and he is about to continue when he hears a desperate snort from Kaori.

"Kakashi" she pleads, and the expression in her eyes is so intense that Kakashi can't help but satisfy her. It travels the distance from the knee to the groin in a short time, with a few wet kisses, then he sinks his tongue into her folds without any warning. Kaori moans at that contact, spreading her legs even more. She is about to grab Kakashi's silver hair with both hands when the clone, sensing her intentions, quickly grabs them, blocking them in mid-air. Kaori protests, kicking with her legs, but this time it's Kakashi's turn to grab them and immobilize them promptly. So, she finds herself with her four limbs motionless, at the mercy of those waves of pleasure. When Kakashi lifts his head, Kaori's fluids run lightly on his chin.

"I want to try something" he says and at those words the woman opens her eyes wide in alarm, having no idea what he has in mind.

"Relax" invites her the deep voice of Kakashi who, accompanied by his smile, push Kaori to relax, sinking her back further into the clone's chest.

Kaori watches Kakashi closely as his left hand takes on particular positions. When he opens his mouth and slips his tongue out, Kaori sees a faint blue light, which she recognizes as chakra, emanating from it. Kakashi returns to bring his face closer to Kaori's intimacy and inserts his tongue into her humid and warm depths. She holds her breath not imagining what will follow. Kakashi's hand moves, performing a new seal, and it is at that moment that a rush of pleasure invades Kaori, so strong that it forces her to scream and roll her eyes back, while the clone holds her tightly.

"Everything all right?" Kakashi asks in a hoarse voice, his tongue back to normal.

It takes Kaori a few seconds to recover and formulate meaningful thoughts, then she just nods her head in agreement. Kakashi smiles satisfied, returning to bend down and lick the folds of the woman, who again begins to moan with pleasure, her legs still trembling. She is reaching orgasm again, when Kakashi, without detaching himself from her, composes the seals from before, releasing another small electric discharge in Kaori's intimacy. This time the pleasure is even more intense, so much so that it involuntarily pushes her to squirt her fluids on Kakashi's face.

Kaori is in total bliss, while the two men look at her with a satisfied and pleased expression. A wet sensation between her thighs brings the woman back to reality. Looking at Kakashi's face between his legs and then the sheets, she realizes only in that instant what happened.

"Sorry, this has never happened to me before!"

Kakashi smiles, using a corner of the sheet to wipe his face.

"I'm glad I was the first to do it" he says winking at her, and lifting her off the bed he heads to the shower.

When the two go back to the room ready to sleep, Kaori notices that the sheets have been changed and the clone is gone. She throws a playful pat on Kakashi’s shoulder exclaiming:

“Hey! I want a clone to do the housework for me!"

The next week, after dinner, Kaori goes out on the village’s street looking for Kakashi, who has been busy several days on a mission. She wanders around the buildings where Kakashi explained to her that there were apartments intended for ninjas, then she remembers that once he told her about a bar that is nearby, saying that it is the meeting point of the ninjas who gather there at evening to have a drink with colleagues.

Once she has found the place, she rushes in, hoping to find him and, when she notices a silver hair in the distance, she knows she is in the right place. It's a ninja bar, so they're not used to seeing civilians in it and this only draws everyone's attention to her. Ignoring that, she goes to the table where Kakashi is sitting. With him are also Gai, Genma, Raido and a woman she never met before. She approaches quickly and, without much preamble, she sits in the only empty seat, which is a chair on the other side of the table in front of Kakashi. Then, without too many ceremonies, she grabs and swallows the man's drink in one gulp.

"Good evening to you too" Kakashi says, surprised to see her there.

Anko introduces herself and the others greet her, intrigued by her presence. She reciprocates absently, then Kakashi asks her:

"Yesterday I went to your place but you weren't there ..." he leaves the sentence hanging, waiting for Kaori's response. She stares into void and everyone else's attention at the table is turned on her, Kakashi also notices the other ninjas staring at the scene. Receiving no reaction, he continues:

"Everything okay?" he asks with a hint of concern.

She reluctantly spits out:

"Last night I was celebrating, I got drunk and I had sex with a woman"

To those words the reaction of the table is immediate: Gai, who was drinking, spits the contents on the table widening his pupils, Raido almost chokes on his cocktail, while Genma and Anko prick up their ears observing the girl with interest. Kakashi weighs the words for a few seconds, then bursts into laughter, attracting the attention of the whole bar, who stares at him with surprise realizing that this is the first time they have heard him laugh out so loud. Shortly after, he clears his throat and says in a neutral tone:

"So? Did you like it?"

"Yes, quite a lot" she admits crossing her arms on the table and leaning her head over them. The two stares at each other as if they were alone in the room, ignoring everything else. Kaori senses Kakashi's thoughts and starts talking again:

"But I still prefer men, I think"

"You think?"

"Well, given my bad luck with the opposite sex, maybe dating a woman would be a solution" she admits disconsolately.

Gai clears his throat embarrassed, saying in a whisper:

"Don't you think you should leave these speeches for later?"

The two do not deign to look at him, but an evil grin paints on Anko's face:

"These talks embarrass you, virgin?"

At those words Genma laughs heartily, while Gai defends himself by denying Anko's claim. Raido has in the meantime resumed sipping his drink pretending indifference, but not missing a single word.

Kakashi says maliciously:

"I wanted to ask you if it was better with her or with me, but apparently someone is not enjoying our talk"

“Please, go on” Anko and Genma plead, getting closer.

Kaori thinks about it for a moment, feeling the alcohol reach her brain:

“Mmm, it depends. But don't worry, nobody beats that time you used the clone” she admits with a grin, while the waiter brings more drinks to the table.

Anko, Genma and Raido burst into coarse laughter and Kakashi regrets asking that question as soon after Genma wants to know the details of the performance. Gai has now given up on calling friends to a minimum of composure, and therefore decides to try to change the subject:

"What were you celebrating yesterday?" he asks and at those words Kaori suddenly raises her face from the table staring at Kakashi.

"I didn't tell you!"

"Apparently not" he encourages her with curiosity.

“I solved the problem with my supervisor! He won't bother me anymore” she radiantly screams, taking another sip of alcohol.

"And how?" Kakashi asks, not expecting such a development, but being genuinely happy about it.

“So, do you remember my blonde friend? My colleague?" after a nod of the head she continues:

"Some time ago I met her cousin, she had just broken up with her girlfriend and she was pretty down in the dumps, so the three of us went out for a drink together, and that's where I got the idea. I talked about it with them and the cousin immediately accepted. Basically, four days ago, when you left for your mission, after work my colleagues and I were all leaving the library together. Out there was my friend's cousin waiting for me and once we were sure that the superior's eyes were on us, we made out in the middle of the street, then pretending to be together" she says in one breath, with the attention of the table on her. Kakashi looks at her skeptically:

"And this worked?"

“Apparently yes! You should have seen his face! I thought that his eyes would fall out of their sockets, and in these three days of work he spoke to me as little as possible, limiting only to business matters and if he meets me in the corridors, he changes direction. I hope it continues like this”

Anko laughs holding her belly, asking immediately after:

"And I bet she was the one you slept with, isn't it?"

Kaori scratches her neck admitting:

"Yesterday we went out to celebrate and you know how it is, one glass leads to another ..."

Gai addresses Kakashi low, but not enough not to be heard:

“Hey man, aren't you saying anything? Does not it bother you?"

Kakashi shrugs, replying indifferently, making himself heard from around the table:

"Why? We don't have an exclusive relationship"

Genma addresses Kaori a propose:

"Then how about a threesome?" he smiles with charm, winking at her.

Gai blushes, nudging Genma's side as Kaori rests her head on the table again.

"Thanks for the offer, but no more adventures for a while"

Despite the constant digs and jokes of Anko and Genma, the conversation moves to other topics, until it's time to go back. The friends say goodbye to Kakashi and Kaori and head to their respective houses, leaving the two in front of the bar. It is Friday night and both Kaori and Kakashi have no particular commitments the next day. Kakashi decides to invite her by him for the night and the girl accepts with enthusiasm, curious to see the place where he lives.

Once in front of the condominium they go up the stairs, along the corridor where there is a long row of doors that can be distinguished from each other only thanks to a number affixed to the center of them. Kakashi stops in front of one of it, takes out a key and opens it, moving to let Kaori in and immediately turning on the light. She observes the room that surrounds her, the kitchen and the small living room are basic, but clean and tidy in an almost maniacal way. Same thing for the bedroom: the bed is perfectly made and over the bedside table and the dresser there is not a single object but two framed photographs on one of the bedside tables. Kakashi enters the bedroom, wrapping her around her waist from behind and asking her what she's thinking.

"For a bachelor man you are very neat, the fact that there is nothing out of place make me almost anxious" she admits.

Kakashi stifles a laugh in her neck, then with a single fluid and decisive move he turns Kaori, so that now they find themselves face to face. The woman is surprised to notice that he has already lowered his mask and, without wasting any more time, Kakashi throws himself with enthusiasm on her lips. Kaori welcomes that intrusion with surprise, but immediately abandons in it, deepening the kiss. She lets him push her against the wall, while his hands go down to free her torso from the shirt and bra. Kakashi immediately throws himself on her breasts, licking and savoring them, as he prepares to take off her skirt and panties as well. She grabs his hair and stifles a moan, but he locks her hands above her head, making them collide with the cold wall. He takes a few seconds to observe her panting face and, looking through the rest of her body with satisfaction, he smiles in appreciation.

"Kakashi" she sighs trying to free herself from the grip, but he doesn't allow her any movement. It is at that moment that Kaori realizes how strong Kakashi actually is and immediately realizes how gentle and careful he must have been with her up until that moment. She tries to regulate her breathing, staring at Kakashi pleadingly and waiting for his move.

The ninja gently releases her wrists and undresses himself quickly, then lifts her by the buttocks, making her sit on top of the dresser. He knows he shouldn't, that that thought is irrational and unjustified, but he feels a slight jealousy pervading him and he can't wait to make her his own, making her forget about everything except him. He's about to penetrate her when, suddenly, he comes back down to earth, realizing he isn’t wearing a condom. He leaves a trail of kisses along the woman's abdomen up to the lower belly, then bends down and rummages in the pocket of his jacket, removing the small wrapping and wearing the protection. He goes back to taking care of Kaori, who has been silently watching him all the time, biting her lower lip. Kakashi bends over her, kissing her again and letting their intimacies touch by rubbing together, stealing a sigh of impatience from both of them. Finally, Kakashi decides to take action: he grabs Kaori's thighs in a firm grip and enters her with a fluid and decisive move. Kaori's back presses against the wall behind her as Kakashi begins to push into her at a fast, steady pace. Kaori enjoys the sensation of the man's warm and muscular body smeared on her and the heat emanating from her bowels, she grabs Kakashi's silver locks and hiding her face in his neck, nibbling his shoulder harder with each thrust.

She has no idea how much time has passed, so immersed in the pleasure and warmth deriving from it, when she is brought back to reality by Kakashi, who grabs her by standing up, holding her in his arms and without separating their intimacies. Kaori instinctively surrounds his hips with her legs, letting him guide her. She is convinced that Kakashi wants to move on the bed to continue in a more comfortable position, but this does not happen. Kakashi heads to the kitchen, placing her on the counter immediately afterwards. This, being lower than the dresser, allows him to reach greater depth, increasing the enjoyment of both. The ninja immediately begins to push into her with regained vigor and energy, setting a pace so fast that Kaori cannot help but tilt her head back and let go of uncontrolled moans, soon reaching orgasm. Shortly after Kakashi pours in her with a hoarse exclamation, leaning his forehead beaded with sweat on the white shoulder of the woman and trying to catch his breath.

When the two separates, Kaori, after to both the intense orgasm and the alcohol consumed that evening, fells her vision slightly blurred. Her legs give out and she's about to fall to the floor when Kakashi grabs her, picking her up and carrying her to the bed, where she snuggles up on his chest and they both fall asleep shortly after.

On Monday afternoon Kaori is in one of the library rooms and is putting the books returned that morning back on the various shelves. She moves to the contemporary history section and places two books next to each other. She returns to bend over the cart and takes a third book, quite bulky and heavy. She reads the location and she is about to put it on the right shelf when the title catches her attention: "Chronicles of the Third Ninja World War - Part One". She curiously checks the index, reading the titles of the various chapters, and she pause on the section dedicated to the exploits of Konoha’s ninja. Kaori grew up in a small, fairly isolated rural village where ninjas are practically non-existent, and the only ones that can be seen are those taking a short break in the renowned hot springs nearby. Fortunately, the war also did not affect the village, as the various battles were fought in the innermost areas of the continent, far from there. Despite being a subject of study at school, Kaori doesn't know the details and, since the library is half-empty that afternoon, she decides to take a few minutes to know more about it. She opens the book in the chapters dedicated to in-depth information on the feats and the role played by the ninjas of Konoha, reading quickly and carefully. She is now in the third chapter, when she comes across a very familiar name. She goes back and rereads the line thinking she read wrong, but there is no doubt, the text shows the name of Kakashi followed by the age he was at the time, so it can't even be a namesake, Kaori reflects after making a quick mental calculation. Holding her breath, she reads the whole chapter without taking her eyes off for a moment, thus becoming aware of the battle of the Kannabi bridge and the achievements of Kakashi, realizing only now that his constantly closed eye contains a very powerful weapon inherited from a dead friend of his own. The last paragraph contains a summary of Kakashi's subsequent accomplishments and his fame as a killer, leaving Kaori, if possible, even more incredulous.

She collapses on the floor, abandoning the book next to her and remaining for endless minutes with her gaze lost in space. Two conflicting feelings crowd her thoughts. She calls herself stupid for having fallen into the trap again: is it possible that among all the men in the world she could not know a normal one? She knew he was a ninja, and she certainly didn't expect Kakashi to spend his days throwing kunai in the wind, but what she just read in those pages upset her. Lost in these reflections she thinks back to Kakashi, to the moments they spent together, to his voice and his kind ways; she finds it hard to believe that under these appearances is hiding a war machine without feelings. It is not possible for two such different characters to coexist in the same person. Kaori tries to find a pretext why Kakashi was forced to do this against his will and at that precise moment she realizes that she doesn't want to believe what she has read. She can't believe it, because that would mean walking away from him and she, who has felt so good in his company for the past few months, can't think of never seeing him again.

She slaps his cheeks hard and stands up, putting all her doubts aside and concentrating on her work. However, as she returns home, those thoughts come back to haunt her. She remembers what she was told by both Kakashi and his friend Gai about not wanting to be in a serious relationship or not opening up to others, and she realizes that it was probably those experiences that led to such a decision. She feels overwhelmed with sadness at the thought of what Kakashi must have been through in his youth and her instincts yell at her to run to him, hug him and tell him that everything will be okay. However, her reason keeps her from doing so, fearing that Kakashi's impassivity and cold blood could somehow lead him to harm her. On the one hand this thought makes her ashamed: she knows Kakashi and somehow feels that she is betraying him, thinking that he can lower himself to such actions towards her. On the other hand, it worries her as she knows from experience that it is impossible to know what is going through his head and to break through the armor he has erected around himself.

She spends the rest of the week submerged in these torments, uncertain about what to do and how to behave towards the ninja.


	6. Chapter 6

It's Saturday, Kaori knows that that day she will see Kakashi as they had agreed the last time they met. It's been an emotionally intense week for her, immersed in her reflections and doubts about Kakashi's past and true nature. That day, however, she feels she has come to some kind of conclusion, as whenever she pauses to think about him, what she has read about his feats is always overshadowed by the thought of what she has seen with her own eyes: a kind person, willing to listen to her and support her. And she realized that this is precisely the point: Kakashi may be a ninja but he is first of all a person, and this is what interests her.

She is thinking about how to approach the subject with Kakashi, when he enters without warning through the living room window. Kaori jumps holding her breath, the image of him as a boy covered in blood appears for a moment in her mind, immediately pushed away with force. He greets her with a smile that she returns with slight stiffness, but Kakashi blames this on the fact that she is frightened by his sudden entrance.

When Kakashi approaches her, lowering the mask and kissing her, Kaori does not notice any difference with the previous and innumerable kisses received by the man, and lets herself go, chasing away all thoughts and hugging him more. Kakashi detaches himself from her and with a smile asks her how she is, but Kaori still has no idea how to deal with the matter and mulling it over again only increases her headache. She just wants to stop thinking about it for a while, so she eludes his question by simulating indifference and throws herself on him again pushing him towards the bedroom.

With the classic enthusiasm that has been common to all their encounters, they both quickly get rid of their clothes and underwear without taking their eyes off from each other. Kaori stretches out on the bed and Kakashi approaches her overhanging her and starting to cover her neck and chest with wet and lustful kisses. Kaori stretches her hand between Kakashi's legs, firmly grasping the shaft and massaging it vigorously, while he moves on to rub his thumb against her clit with circular gestures, ripping out a few moans from Kaori, who bites her lip and closes the eyes.

"Ah ... Hurry up" Kaori pleads, letting go his erection and pushing her pelvis towards the man's. Although the friction between their intimacies is very pleasant, Kakashi moves reluctantly, grabbing a condom and putting it on quickly. Back on top of Kaori, he enters her slowly and enjoys the sensation of his member being sucked by those warm, tight walls. Once fully inside, Kaori fastens her legs around the ninja's waist, lifting her pelvis slightly to allow for greater depth. Kakashi immediately begins to move with a steady but not too fast pace. After several minutes of that intercourse, seeing that he has no intention of increasing the pace, Kaori look at him with dissatisfaction, immediately releasing a snort. She undoes her legs from his back and firmly grab the man's shoulders, pushing them so that he steps aside. Kakashi raises a questioning eyebrow but lets himself be manipulated by her until the positions are reversed. Now the ninja is lying comfortably on his back on the mattress, while Kaori towers over him and looks at him with desire. She bends over him, biting his lower lip and immediately passing to the jaw line, while with one hand she helps to insert the erection inside her. She gets up slightly from the man and descends completely on him arching her back and letting go of a satisfied sigh. Kakashi instinctively brings his hands to grab her hips but she takes them promptly, bringing them to the sides of his head. Continuing to hold them still, she leverages them and begins to move over his shaft with a fast and disordered rhythm, chasing pleasure without ever taking her clouded gaze away from Kakashi's only visible eye, while her breasts bounce and the turgid nipples rub against the man's chest.

Kakashi is almost at the limit when he decides to free his hands by applying a slight force and pushing Kaori's ones, grabbing her by the buttocks he rises with a single movement sitting on the mattress with the woman astride him. Squeezing Kaori's lower back more, he begins to help her movements by setting an even faster pace and soon bringing her to orgasm. The contraction of her walls on Kakashi's erect sex causes him to reach pleasure soon after. Kaori drops her sweaty forehead on the ninja's shoulder, while he bends over to leave a few kisses in her hair, before moving away from her and going to get rid of the condom and grab a towel to gently wipe the sweat from her exhausted body. He quickly dries himself too and then throws the towel in the corner, lying down next to Kaori and covering them both with the sheet.

They are lying next to each other, their breaths still labored and their gazes fixed on the ceiling, lost in who knows what thoughts. After completely catching her breath, Kaori turns to Kakashi and approaches him, resting her head on his chest and listening to his heartbeat, trying in the meantime to put things into some order in her mind and deciding how to open the topic that had tormented her for several days now.

Kakashi lowers his gaze and raises his neck slightly to observe Kaori's pensive face and, having never heard her so silent for such a long time, he takes the floor:

"A penny for your thoughts" he whispers into her hair leaving immediately after a light kiss.

And that sentence is an excellent excuse for her to address the issue. She doesn't move from his chest, fearing that if she looked into his face, she’d lose all her courage and the words would die in her throat. She takes a deep breath and says all in one breath:

"A few days ago, I found a book in the library about the Third Great Ninja War, I read the part about the Leaf village and there was also a chapter that talked about you ..." she feels Kakashi's body stiffen under her and his heartbeat increase dramatically under her ear. After a few seconds in which she can't even hear the man's breathing, she slowly looks up and what she sees leaves her petrified. Kakashi's face is pale and his eye dilated in an expression somewhere between surprise and terror. She lifts herself further from him and tries to grab his hand but he pulls it away and sits up.

"I'm sorry" is all he manages to mumble in a whisper before getting up to pick up his clothes and start putting them on.

"Wait!" Kaori yells with a note of panic in her voice and, without thinking about it, she throws herself behind the ninja, colliding with his back and grabbing him firmly from behind. She knows that if he wanted it wouldn't take more than half a second to free himself from that hold, so she hastens to add:

"Please don't go, let's talk about it"

Kakashi slowly drops his shirt on the floor and turns in surprise, thinking that after learning about his past she didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore.

She firmly grabs his wrist, inviting him to sit on the bed and she immediately takes a seat next to him, observing him carefully. Kakashi sighs almost resigned, then asking her what she wants to know and feeling guilty for hiding his past from her. He thinks about the men with whom she has had to deal so far and a sense of shame, the same that prompted him to get out of bed and run away just before, hits him. But he is distracted by Kaori's voice:

“I can imagine what you're thinking, but you shouldn't compare yourself to them. What you have done in the past has been dictated by necessity and by your role as ninja but you are now, here with me, not a ninja, you are just a person. A person who has always respected me and behaved well with me"

At those words, Kakashi feels as if a huge weight had dissolved from his chest, and his shoulders relax a little, a feeling of gratitude arises within him. He tells her what happened during the war, he tells her about his comrades and his teacher and how, in the delicate period following the war, he was forced to take part in missions of all kinds to safeguard the fragile balance and well-being of the nation.

Then Kaori startling him, asking him to see the eye with the sharingan. Kakashi understands her curiosity and feels slightly uncomfortable under her gaze which is fixed on his scar. He swallows a lump of saliva, closes his good eye for a few moments, then slowly reopens them both, fixing them on the girl in front of him. He watches Kaori's mouth open slightly in amazement and she crawls up to him and brings her face so close to his that he is forced to back away placing his weight on his elbows to keep their noses from colliding. But Kaori doesn't give up, she sits astride him and grabs Kakashi's face in her hands, closely observing the intense red and the design of that incredible eye.

"It's beautiful" she whispers, and immediately leaves a kiss under it, on the scar. Kakashi is blown away by her reaction and cannot help but follow his instinct, surrounding her with his arms and making them both collide on the mattress. A hand creeps into Kaori's hair and Kakashi approaches them with his nose, getting lost in the scent of her hair. She remains motionless enjoying the caresses and listening carefully to the words that Kakashi pronounces in the meantime:

"I never told you, but the reason I followed you the night I met you and why I continued to show up at your apartment whenever I had the opportunity is your perfume"

At those words Kaori lifts immediately her head, tilting it in a questioning gesture and staring at him, for the first time, in both eyes with confusion.

Kakashi gets comfortable, sitting with his back against the head of the bed and invites her to sit in his arms. She obeys in silence, impatient for the ninja's explanation, which is not long in coming:

“The perfume you use, vanilla and ginger, is the same one my mother used. She died when I was a child" at those words Kaori hugs him more "and I have few and vague memories of her, but when I smell your scent, I have the feeling of being somehow closer to her" he admits with a sad smile.

Without saying a word Kaori strokes both cheeks, making him rest his head on her chest and encircling him with her arms. They stay like this for an indefinite time, then both exhausted fall asleep, Kaori in Kakashi's arms and with her head resting on his chest.

And as sleep takes over, both of them indulge in it, with less weight on their shoulders, Kakashi with the knowledge that he has been accepted and Kaori with the certainty of being able to trust him. They don't know yet, but that will be their last conversation and their last meeting for a long, difficult time. In fact, a few days later, war will break out and Kakashi will be forced to leave and separates from her, in the hope of being able to protect her and safeguard the good of the village and its inhabitants by putting his life on the line.


	7. Chapter 7

The war is finally over. Naruto and Sasuke have freed the ninja from the infinite Tsukuyomi and now, dazed and exhausted, all the survivors were preparing to return to their villages. A thousand thoughts swirl in the head of each of them, but two in particular can be said to be common to all of them: the happiness of hugging loved ones and the impatience to put something in their stomach. As for tiredness, after finally sleeping in their own beds, the next day they’ll have had to roll up their sleeves and rebuild what had been destroyed and, most painful of all, the count of the dead and the organization of funerals.

Kakashi is also immersed in these thoughts, as he proceeds with slow, shuffling steps beside the stretcher that carries his friend and eternal rival Gai to the hospital in Konoha. Seeing his friend reduced to that state fills his heart with sadness but, looking back with hindsight, they must consider themselves lucky to still have him among them after the inhuman effort to which his body was subjected. And following this trail of thoughts another face appeared in Kakashi's mind: the one of Obito. No longer a smiling clumsy boy, but a determined and resentful man. Kakashi knew, before the start of the war, that he had to be ready for anything, but finding himself in front of his teammate who was given up for dead decades before was just not among them. A sense of nausea and oppression invade him, forcing him to clench his fists and accelerate his pace so as not to arouse suspicion in the people next to him. He involuntarily touches his left eye, remembering at that precise moment that he no longer has the sharingan with him. He stares in front of him watching Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke walk side by side, the latter in chains and watched over by a team of jonin. A slight smile is painted on his face, on the one hand the happiness for his students finally back together, on the other the bitterness of what happened with Obito and the knowledge that he had everything wrong with him. That they eventually cleared up and Obito left this life at peace with himself and with the world, at that moment, for Kakashi and his sense of guilty was of relative importance.

Kakashi is awakened from his thoughts when they arrive at the gates of the village and a cheering crowd welcomes them with shouts and applause. After making sure Gai was in safe hands on his way to the hospital, Kakashi evaporates, and now there is only one thought in his head: Kaori. Despite his injuries and his aching muscles, jumping from tree to tree in a few minutes he is in front of her apartment door. He knocks several times but no one answers and no noise comes from inside the house. Instinctively he puts his hand on the handle by turning it, and it opens without hesitations. The shutters are closed and the kitchen and living room are immersed in darkness. He turns on the light, but he already knows that Kaori isn't there as her perfume, which he loves so much, is very subdued and light. He is about to turn off the light and go out, when his eye falls on the dining table and he notices a sheet of paper, he reaches it with two wide strides and immediately takes it in his hand, reading its contents with voracity. It's a letter from Kaori addressed to him:

_Kakashi,_

_I have decided to go to my sister’s house and I will stay with her until the war is over. After the Allied Ninja Army wins, and I firmly believe in your winning, I’ll return to the village as soon as possible. I cannot wait to see you again._

_Kaori_

Reading those words, a mixture of relief, but at the same time of impatience in seeing her again, takes possession of him. All the tension accumulated in those days begins to dissipate and the adrenaline to fade. He feels his legs tremble and he collapses to the ground with the letter still between his fingers.

After endless minutes, gathering all the strength left in his body, he heads home for a shower. Luckily Sakura has already healed on the battlefield his most serious injuries and he just has to change the bandages before going to bed, falling immediately asleep.

The next three days pass quickly for Kakashi. His thoughts still go to Obito, but they are often interrupted by the memory of Kaori and his eagerness to see her again.

That day he was summoned to the Hokage office and, in addition to Tsunade, there are also the two old sages, the daimyo and some of his advisers. Kakashi, once inside, looks around carefully with a raised eyebrow. He politely greets those present, but already imagines what their presence is due to, and in fact a few seconds later Tsunade takes the floor, dispelling his doubts. The fifth Hokage has decided to retire from public life and the sages and daimyo will only accept it if Kakashi gives his consent to take her successor's place as the sixth Hokage. After listening carefully to Tsunade's reasons, with a deep sigh of resignation, Kakashi accepts the new role, with the greatest gratitude of the woman, who has decided to dedicate the rest of her life to medicine and a little well-deserved rest.

The ceremony and official installation of Kakashi as the sixth Hokage would take place in two weeks, after all the funeral ceremonies in honor of the deceased. On the same day of the investiture there would also be a party for the whole village where, in addition to the new Hokage, would also be celebrated the end of the war.

Kakashi is shuffling out of the building and his hands in his pockets, when his listless expression is immediately replaced by one of surprise. His pupils widen slightly, while he refines his sense of smell to dispel any doubts: he has not imagined it, what he smells at that moment, albeit light, is Kaori's scent. Without thinking twice, he jumps on the roof of a nearby house and immediately starting to run at full speed through the village until reaching the edge of the forest, where the woman's apartment is located. With a leap he reaches the door and knocks with force and impatience. He distinctly hears footsteps running quickly down the corridor and getting closer and closer. When the door opens and Kaori finds herself in front of him, her knees almost give out in relief. Tears sprout in the corners of the girl's eyes and, at the same moment, they throw themselves into each other's arms. Feeling Kakashi against her and having the confirmation that he is okay, Kaori bursts into a liberating cry as he hugs her closer and sinks his nose into her hair, breathing in her scent of vanilla and ginger and calming down immediately afterwards, while a wide and genuine smile appears on his face. They spend long minutes in that position, completely forgetting the world around them, then Kaori detaches herself slightly from him, wipes the last of her tears and stands on tiptoes to get closer to him. A slow and passionate kiss ensues, Kaori's hands on Kakashi's face, while his hands surround her waist. They don't realize how long the kiss lasted, too caught up in the moment, but when they break away, they both have shortness of breath and Kaori's cheeks are slightly red, a spontaneous smile arises on the woman's face, immediately imitated by Kakashi's lips. The two silently enter the apartment and sit on the sofa, the woman grabs the ninja's hands in hers and gets closer to him, making their thighs collide.

Kaori observes Kakashi for a few seconds, his face still tired and twisted up despite having been back home for several days. He returns her gaze, squeezing her hands more, not finding the right words to start the conversation, thoughts and feelings piled up in his mind. Kaori continues to scrutinize his face, raises a hand and with amazement painted on her face she caresses the scar on his face, staring into both dark eyes. It is at that moment that Kakashi takes the floor, explaining what happened to his sharingan, including the story of Obito and the battle with Kaguya. Kaori listens without interrupting him, surprised by the incredible events he has had to face and it is precisely in that moment that she realizes how much she has missed him and what he must have been through on the battlefield. The thought that she might lose him overwhelmingly creeps into her and digs a well in her guts. It is exactly at that moment, as an involuntary shiver runs through her spine, that she realizes she loves him. Kaori loves Kakashi. And to that realization the negative thoughts of just before are immediately overshadowed by the happiness of having him back with her. She wants to tell him how she feels, scream at him about her feelings, but his tired face convinces her to leave the matter unresolved. Right now, Kakashi is still shaken by what happened with Obito and Kaori believes that the best thing is to be close to him and take care of him. After all, Kakashi is back, he is there with her, there will be plenty of time to let him know about her feelings for him.

On the day of the Sixth Hokage election ceremony, Kakashi also invites Kaori. After the official celebration with the presence of the major figures of the country and after Kakashi's speech at the village, it's time to celebrate. Food and alcohol invade the room, making the atmosphere very relaxed and conversational. Kakashi, after greeting and thanking the prominent personalities present at the ceremony, trying to attract little attention, moves away from the crowd. With a deep sigh he grabs a glass of champagne, draining it all in one gulp and looks around in search of Kaori. He spots her sitting next to Gai as they chat among themselves. Kakashi takes a few seconds to admire her smile, then walks over to her, sitting casually beside her and greeting Gai, who immediately pats him on the shoulder congratulating him on his speech. Kaori observes around, except for Gai, Genma, Raido, Anko, Naruto, Sakura and Tsunade, all the other faces are unknown to her. As she ponders this, two smiling teenagers approach Gai and he hurries to make introductions.

"Kaori, these are my students, Rock Lee and Ten Ten" the two greet politely, looking at her with curiosity and Gai continues:

"This is Kaori, the girlfriend of our dear Sixth Hokage" he exclaims enthusiastically. The two nod in surprise, while Kaori looks away embarrassed, her cheeks flushed at Gai's statement.

Kakashi, for his part, took out his inseparable book, hiding his face in it indifferently. At that sight, Kaori's embarrassment is immediately replaced by laughter, while she instinctively nudges him in the ribs, reproaching him for not being the right time for such a reading.

In the meantime, several people present in the room enjoy the scene, after Gai's exclamation, anything but discreet, attracted their attention. When Kaori takes her eyes off Kakashi to bring them back in front of her, noticing that she has attracted all that attention, she blushes again and looks silently and with mock interest at her shoes. It is at that point that Kakashi does something that completely startling her: after putting the book away, he gets up from the chair and turning to her, he gently takes her by the hand, telling her he wants to introduce her to some people.

And as Kakashi introduces her to some of his friends and acquaintances Kaori can't help but think of their hands still joined under all those gazes and, like a thunder that invades a leaden and silent sky, Kaori realizes that this is Kakashi's way to let her know that he wants to be with her. At the thought that Kakashi wants to make things official, she feels her legs go limp and a tremor take hold of her hands. Instinctively she squeezes Kakashi's hand more, who immediately looks at her and smiles encouragingly. And it is that smile that makes her capitulate, making her take the final decision: that evening she would face him and confess her feelings for him.

It is late night when Kaori gets home, followed by Kakashi. After passing the door, she frenziedly kicks the shoes off her feet and undoes the zipper of the dress making it fall at her feet, remaining in underwear. She leaves the dress on the ground and lies down badly on the sofa with a loud sigh, covering her eyes with her right arm. Kakashi, after taking off his shoes and hanging his coat and hat near the entrance, collects Kaori's dress by placing it on a chair. He silently approaches the sofa, lifts the woman's feet, sitting down and placing them on his lap. With both hands, he grabs one of the feet and begin to massage it with circular movements. A moan of appreciation invades the room. After several minutes Kakashi switches to the other foot massaging it in the same way. Kaori removes her arm from her face, staring intently at Kakashi who, feeling her gaze on him, brings his face closer to hers, removing the mask. Immediately he smiles at her, and that smile melts Kaori, who feels her bowels twist and a sensation of heat emanating throughout her body. She lifts herself off the couch moving closer to him. She kneels beside him, placing one of her hands on the man's thigh and immediately returns her gaze to him, staring at him piercingly and decisively, then takes a breath, preparing to give voice to what is buzzing in her head in those last days. Kakashi stares at her curiously, attracted by that magnetic gaze, waiting for her to speak.

"These days I have thought a lot about the two of us" she begins, holding more tightly to the man's thigh, who at that moment covers her hand with his own. This gesture gives her the courage to continue the conversation.

"Do you know how they say, that the importance of something is understood only after it has been lost? If I think that during the war I could have lost you, I feel suffocated. I can't imagine living without you, I want to be with you and I'm ready to build a serious relationship with you" Kaori feels anxiety and nervousness assail her and she feels the urge to look away, but she tries hard not to. She notes the pupils of Kakashi that are slightly dilated, the hand that first stroked her own with slow movements has stopped. Kaori doesn't know what she'd give to know what he's thinking right now.

For his part, Kakashi feels the same as Kaori, and he realized it just as he was returning home after the war ended. He has been thinking a lot about his feelings these past few days, and initially he still couldn't fully convince himself to leave the past behind. All the people who have been close to him have died and he can't afford to happen again, not to Kaori. And yet, thinking back to Obito and everything that happened in those last years of his life, a conviction makes its way into him: he has the right to be happy. Therefore, for the first time in his life, after years spent in the dark and in the total absence of emotions, he decides to let go and follow his instincts, without worrying about what might happen. Another smile, yet another of that evening, is painted on his face. It attracts Kaori more close to him, until their faces are just a few millimeters apart and they can hear each other's breath. Kaori continues to stare at him silently, eager to know Kakashi's answer. But the thousands of conjectures she has in her head are not even comparable to what Kakashi tells her, which leaves her completely blown away.

"I love you" is the man's only response, whispered on the lips and in a manner so sweet that it seems like a dream. Immediately after, Kakashi draws her into a slow and deep kiss, which fully expresses all his feelings. Kaori lets herself go, closing her eyes and abandoning herself to the kiss, while a tear of joy wets her cheek.

That night, naked and wrapped in bed, it's different. They do not pursue pleasure in a frantic way or as an end in itself, but they slowly savor each other, fully enjoying each other's presence in the awareness of their love.

Kaori and Kakashi love each other and in that moment, there is nothing for them other than their love.


	8. A year later

A year has passed since the end of the war and the village and our protagonists live their lives in peace and tranquility.

A few months after Kakashi's election as Hokage, he and Kaori decided to move in together. Neither of them knows exactly who the idea was, they simply found themselves talking about it one day and to both of them it seemed the right thing to do. Since Kakashi is very busy with work they decided to leave their respective apartments and look for one closer to the Hokage building. After realizing the amount of books they both had, not to mention Kakashi's dog army, they opted for a two bedroom apartment plus a studio, so that all of them and their belongings could fit comfortably. Having also become an official couple, Kaori befriended many of the village ninjas, who welcomed her with open arms, happy that their Hokage finally had someone to share his life with.

That evening many of them gathered in a club in the center to celebrate the birthday of the village hero, Naruto. Kakashi and Kaori just arrived, apologizing for the delay, Kakashi's fault of course. The man apologizes again by scratching the back of his neck, taking a seat on one of the chairs. Naruto immediately approaches him handing him a glass of wine, immediately grabbing another for Kaori but, to his surprise, the woman already has a glass of what appears to be orange juice in her hand. Naruto is about to say something when he is interrupted by Sakura and Ino, who are eager to make the toast and then throw themselves headlong into the sweets.

The evening goes on cheerfully, Naruto is the center of attention continuously attracted by friends, while the adults converse pleasantly with each other. Kakashi is happy to finally have a few hours of relaxation away from paperwork and at that thought he instinctively increases the grip on Kaori’s waist. She is comfortably seated on his lap, while talking with Gai and Tsunade. Shortly after Naruto approaches them:

"Hey, grandma, don't you think you're drinking too much?" he says screaming, drawing the attention of all his friends to them.

"Just because you are a hero, don't you think that you are allowed to tell me what I can or cannot do!" Tsunade snaps, throwing a loud punch in his head.

The pain and the bump that is surfacing make Naruto desist from adding something, and the blond finally opts to turn his attention to the others. He glances sideways at Kakashi and Kaori, the latter still sitting on the Hokage's thighs. He is thinking of saying something that might embarrass them (he loves to see his teacher blush just above the edge of the mask), when a detail piques his curiosity.

"What are you drinking?" he asks Kaori.

"Orange juice, would you like some?" she replies smiling and handing the almost empty glass to Naruto.

He withdraws slightly, immediately giving voice to his doubts:

"I thought you liked alcohol"

"Yes, I like it, but for tonight just juice" she replies with a wink.

Tsunade did not miss Kakashi's grip on the woman's hips, who at those words tightened slightly more around her. She stares at the glass of orange juice and then returns to stare at the couple in front of her. She throws down the sake left in her glass in one gulp, then raising an eyebrow addresses the two in a little too loud tone of voice:

"Is there something you two need to tell us?"

At those words, the attention of the room turns back to the small group, while Naruto observes in confusion first Tsunade and then Kakashi and Kaori. The latter two exchange a knowing look, then both get up from their chairs. Kakashi clears his throat.

"Actually yes" he admits scratching his neck, a sign that he is embarrassed. Kaori gently takes his hand between hers, squeezing it tightly. Kakashi takes a deep breath under the eyes of those present, saying all in one breath:

"We are expecting a baby"

A few seconds of silence follows, suddenly interrupted by the enthusiastic cries of Sakura and Ino. Tsunade smiles happily congratulating the couple, while Gai and Naruto still struggle to process the news. Gai recovers before Naruto, getting closer to his eternal rival and nearly breaking his spine with one of his pats on the back, as tears begin to make their way to the corners of his eyes. With impetus he begins to praise the spirit of youth and screaming wishes to the future parents. In all this din, Naruto recovers by approaching the two and hugging both of them, then smiling with one of those genuine smiles that only he is capable of. They receive many greetings and congratulations from all the presents and the news soon spread throughout the village and beyond the borders of the country.

That evening, as they walk home hand in hand, Kakashi lures Kaori closer to him, pulling back a lock of her hair and kissing her softly. He moves away shortly after whispering "I love you" in her ear to which she responds with another passionate kiss. Their hearts are full of happiness and hope for the future that awaits them and Kakashi cannot help but feel the luckiest man in the world, as he embraces the woman he loves, breathing deeply in the scent of vanilla and ginger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally this fanfiction has come to an end. There are some parts that don't fully satisfy me (and I hope there aren’t too many English mistakes), but overall, I'm glad I posted it.  
> Thanks to everyone who has read this fic! I'd like to know what you think and if you have any suggestions 😊


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